INVOICE BASICS
Does the invoice have the right company or entity, matter, and billing period?
Invoice Review
Free to download. No form required.
EDITABLE WORD CHECKLIST
A one-page checklist for reviewing outside counsel invoices. Adapt the optional thresholds, record follow-up steps, and use it in Word or printed.
VENDOR-NEUTRAL AI PROMPT
A ready-to-use prompt for reviewing invoices in an AI tool your organization has approved. Invoice-grounded findings, calculations, and focused follow-up questions.
Before you use the AI prompt
For the AI prompt: It is designed to work from the invoice alone. Because invoices may contain privileged, confidential, personal, or commercially sensitive information, use only an AI service your organization has approved.
WHAT THE CHECKLIST COVERS
Nine of the seventeen questions on the checklist
Every question is written to be answered from the invoice in front of you. Bracketed thresholds are yours to set, and each row has space to mark no issue, follow up, or not applicable.
PRICING TERMS
Are all agreed-upon discounts, timekeeper rates, fee caps, fixed fees, or other pricing arrangements included in the invoice?
CALCULATIONS
Do the line item calculations, subtotals and amount due appear to be calculated correctly?
NARRATIVES
Are the line items specific enough to understand and evaluate the time billed?
DUPLICATES
Are there any entries that appear to be duplicates or potentially overlapping?
DAILY HOURS
Have any timekeepers billed for line items totaling more than [8/10/12] hours in a single workday?
STAFFING
Are the tasks being done appropriate for the level of attorney performing those tasks?
MEETINGS
Are there multiple charges for attorneys in the same meeting, on the same phone call, or attending internal conferences?
EXPENSES
Are expenses understandable, matter-related, and reasonable?
The full checklist has seventeen questions, with follow-up columns for each.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Legal invoice review questions
Straightforward answers for teams building a lightweight process for reviewing outside counsel invoices.
KEEP READING
